Claim My Crown
by Selys
Summary: Thinking you're the best, knowing you're the best, and being recognized as the best are very different. So when the Lily of the Valley world championship comes around, both Ash and Anabel set their sights on first place. The top. The crown. However, as they spend more time together, they realize that life outside of battling has meaning as well. And what a wonderful meaning it is.
1. Prologue

**This story takes place prior to Gen 6, basically ignoring the fact that Kalos exists. Fairy-types and Mega Evolutions are just not my thing.**

 **With that out of the way, welcome to _Claim My Crown_ , my first fanfiction. In case you couldn't tell, the plot of this story is, admittedly, quite generic. A tournament with a smarter, more powerful Ash and some romance; sound familiar at all? However, I hope that my execution of this concept will convince you to continue reading.**

 **Don't expect updates very frequently; high school, though not difficult, severely limits my free time. Know that I try to write whenever I can, and that sometimes I just...can't.**

 **Hope you enjoy, and please R &R!**

* * *

Prologue

Set Fate In Motion

Sinnoh residents had varying degrees of knowledge about Mount Coronet. Some viewed it as simply a tall, gorgeous alp, a beautiful centerpiece of Sinnoh's landscape, while others, namely aspiring trainers, trained and sought Pokemon nearby. Few knew of its real significance or even the name "Spear Pillar", and even fewer had actually _been_ there.

Everyone could, however, agree that only a truly crazy, unequivocally unhinged individual would venture deep into such an unforgiving, isolated location and call it home for an extended period of time. No sane person would willingly subject themselves to such torture—right?

Well...put it this way: Ash Ketchum was no stranger to being called a lunatic.

For virtually all of the past two and a half years, the now-sixteen-year-old had stayed atop Sinnoh's tallest peak, training every day and every night. His well-conditioned Pokemon, ever loyal to him, had made great strides in their battling ability. Once brimming with untapped potential, one could definitely say that now they were well on the way to fulfilling said potential.

And to be fair, he'd planned his prolonged solitude rather well. Twice a week, he would send a few of his flying Pokemon to Pallet Town to return some of his Pokemon to Professor Oak and deliver a letter to his mother; he'd promised to write to her regularly, and he did—sometimes. Then, his trusty messengers would return with new Pokeballs containing some of Ash's other Pokemon as well as plenty of supplies, chief among which was the massive basket of food that Delia prepared. And I mean _massive_.

Though he had changed quite a bit in other ways, his appetite remained more or less the same.

Actually, to the unfamiliar eye, he hadn't changed much at all. He retained his signature cap, but he swapped out the bright blue jacket he wore to Unova in favor of a black one. Also, he'd grown a few inches; in fact, unbeknownst to him, he was taller than Gary now, though not by much.

However, he suspected that his old acquaintances would be very surprised at his conduct.

Once a naive boy, he was now a mature teen capable of not embarrassing himself in public...not that he'd been in public recently, mind you. His extra height and his default deadpan gave him a daunting appearance, an aura of mystery and fear pervading the air around him. Even his voice, now significantly deeper than before, would probably intimidate most opponents.

But on the battlefield he would show the world how far he'd truly come.

Before, he'd made a name for himself as a reckless risk-taker with promise and passion. Now, he still retained the same fiery spirit of his younger self, but had gradually developed a calculating, strategic mind to pair with it. And above all, he was able to demonstrate an unwavering calmness the likes of which no one could have expected from the Ash of old.

Needless to say, Ash had never possessed these traits before.

Sitting on one of Mount Coronet's many precipices, legs dangling off the edge, cap shielding his face from the afternoon sun, Ash sighed. He really had no idea how his friends would react to the new him, or how he'd react to them. Luckily, he wasn't planning to return to civilization anytime soon, but he knew that one day, a tournament suitable for him would take place...

And he would answer the call.

And so would the friends he had with him right now.

"Right, Pikachu?" he asked the electric mouse to his right.

The Pokemon's response was a slight tilting of his head and a confused expression. "Pika...?"

"Oh, right. I was thinking to myself again." Ash chuckled. "Would you believe it. Ash actually thinking for once."

Pikachu slowly shook his head.

"Hey, nobody asked for your opinion anyway!"

"Pi-ka chu!"

After a few more minutes of alone time with Pikachu (I know what you're thinking, but...no), Ash decided it was about time to head up to outside Spear Pillar to check up on the rest of his Pokemon. And probably fix his tent, too, since his Pokemon found a way to ruin it every time.

He knew the different paths through the mountain like the back of his hand, and devoted little thought to where he had to go; walking between places inside the caves was practically a reflex for him at this point. He also came across some surprisingly strong Pokemon during his initial explorations, including a Dragonair in one of the lakes. In fact, he caught said Dragonair and evolved it into a Dragonite, though unfortunately nothing else he found was worth keeping.

Soon enough, he emerged back into daylight...and saw Infernape and Sceptile sparring, surrounded by a multitude of observers.

At the moment, the two combatants were staring each other down, neither moving in the slightest. Both had sustained minor damage, but Ash knew that would change very shortly.

Then, Sceptile's left foot inched forward and the duel exploded in a flurry of action.

With a predatory growl, Sceptile lunged forward, wristblades glowing green. Infernape met Leaf Blade with Mach Punch before twisting away and swinging at Sceptile's side. However, the reptile was quick enough to leap backward and avoid the blow. Infernape didn't let up, every single jab and swing just barely missing his nimble opponent. Unfortunately, he failed to account for one thing.

Sceptile grinned before dashing forward at an impossible speed, nearly knocking Infernape into the onlookers. Infernape, still undeterred, rolled back and into a standing position, facing Sceptile once again.

Most trainers, witnessing two of their Pokemon do such a thing, would put an end to such activity before an injury occurred. Others, such as Paul, would let their Pokemon continue; such practice was useful. Ash went for the option only he would think of.

"Mind if I join?" he asked, a grin on his face.

Before Charizard could move to make way for Ash to enter the ring, Muk did what Muk usually did.

"Gah! Muk! Get off of me!" Ash attempted to wriggle out from under the Sludge Pokemon, but to no avail.

A Shadow Ball blasted Muk off of Ash's back and into the side of the mountain. When Ash ran to check the extent of the damage, he was surprised to find that it had fainted.

Looking at the Pokemon that fired the attack, Ash whistled. "That's some serious power. Were you charging that the whole time?"

Chandelure, one of several new additions to his team, made a strange sound and nodded. Kind of. Since it had no neck, it basically just inclined its whole body a little forward and then tilted back again.

"Cool!" Ash nearly high-fived Chandelure before he realized that it had no arms. "Anyway, today we'll be doing what we did yesterday. Chandelure, you'll continue practicing Overheat multiple times. You can handle Pokemon that the others can't with your power, and while that Shadow Ball was pretty good, I'm probably going to rely on Overheat more. Charizard, you help with that. Infernape, Sceptile, keep sparring I guess. Staraptor, Gliscor, Dragonite, Unfezant, ninety laps around the mountain, take a rest after forty-five. And—" he stopped and looked around. "Where did they go?"

"Pika pi." Pikachu scurried over to the knapsack of Pokeballs next to Ash's crumpled tent ( _I knew it,_ Ash mentally groaned) and retrieved a smaller bag, also containing Pokeballs; Ash usually kept the newer members of his team separate from the older ones so he didn't have to dig around for them; most of his Pokemon knew how to let themselves out of their balls anyway. Bag in hand—or rather, in arms—Pikachu hustled back over to his trainer.

"Thanks, buddy." From the bag Ash withdrew three Pokeballs. "Alright, you three, you're training with me today."

The Pokeballs popped open, releasing a flash of light and Ash's newest Pokemon.

" _Castform!_ " Castform chirped, transforming into its sunny form. A nice day with no clouds in the sky...so far.

Whimsicott hopped and spun around...whimsically, cheering for itself for no apparent reason.

"Mrrrrrr," Shaymin grumbled. Finally, some action. Since he'd caught it about a month ago, Ash hadn't pushed Shaymin terribly much, not wishing to antagonize such a powerful addition to his team, but Shaymin was looking forward to becoming stronger. At heart, it shared the ambitions of non-legendary Pokemon.

Ash clapped his hands in glee. These three posed a fun challenge to him. All three had particularly interesting skill sets and unique combat styles, and he looked forward to using them in a real battle someday. But for now...

"Alright. Castform, let's see how your Rain Dance is coming along."

At Ash's words, Castform glowed a light blue color, causing dark clouds to form above the entire mountain. Then, Castform transformed again, this time into its rainy form. Within seconds, Ash was soaked to the bone.

However, he remained unfazed, not even shivering. In fact, he calmly looked up and nodded in approval; Castform's storm had even summoned thunder and lightning. "Nice. Now use Weather Ball on Charizard."

Castform nodded, firing off a shimmering cerulean orb of energy. Charizard, having heard Ash's command, attempted to block the attack with his wing, but winced at the damage.

"Packed some punch, didn't it, buddy?" Ash smirked. Charizard growled in affirmation. "Yeah. Good job, Castform. Whimsicott, you're next."

The still-teetering Pokemon did an abrupt about-face, still smiling but fully alert.

"How fast can you hit that rock over there with Leech Seed? Ready, set—oh wow."

Whimsicott's Leech Seed had already covered the rock in vines, the Pokemon responsible resuming his spinning dance.

"Well, your ability's something else, that's for sure. I almost didn't see that—hey, stop that, you're gonna get dizzy." Whimsicott, startled, let out a soft "eep" and promptly ceased his antics. "Alright, you two, you're going to fight each other. Castform, change up the weather every now and then. Whimsicott, don't use Poison Powder, I don't have any antidotes in my backpack right now. I'll get more from Professor Oak tomorrow. Shaymin, you're going to be with Pikachu. I've got a very special task for you." He led Shaymin and Pikachu to the edge of the precipice. Below, they could see Staraptor soaring past Gliscor and Unfezant, Dragonite tailing the three other Flying-types. "You're gonna be trying to snipe them with attacks. I'm looking for accuracy, not quantity and power; I know you guys have power, so I'm training you guys to waste as little of it as possible. And obviously, don't go overboard with your attacks; they have to do ninety laps, and I doubt Dragonite even has the stamina to do that right now. He will in time, but spare at least him for today."

Shaymin brightened up considerably and squeaked ecstatically to Pikachu, who only smiled in reply. They then hopped down the mountain to a lower ledge; soon, Ash heard the telltale sounds of Energy Ball and Thunderbolt, and he knew the barrage had begun.

"My, this is certainly impressive, Ash."

" _HOLY_ —" Ash whipped his head around, almost falling off the ledge, only for his jaw to drop at the sight of a very familiar person in a Hawaiian button-up shirt. He then ran over to the figure and circled around, as if examining his visitor to ensure his sanity. Convinced he truly wasn't dreaming, he asked, "Scott? What are _you_ doing here?"

The man raised an eyebrow. "Didn't Oak tell you to expect someone...?"

Ash scratched his head. Huh. Now that he thought about it, he _did_ get a letter from Professor Oak. He might not have read as carefully as he should have, though. "Er...yeah, he did actually. And he also told you that I was here."

"How else would I have known where you were?" Scott chuckled. "No one knows where you are except for him and your mother."

"I guess. But still, why are you here?"

"Checking on one of my favorite trainers after he hasn't been seen for three years, of course." Scott grinned. "How are you doing?"

Ash shrugged. "Pretty good. I'm confident I could beat almost anyone."

Scott's grin grew even wider. "Do you want to prove it?"

As if a switch had been flipped, Ash looked at Scott, a gleam in his eye. "Are you saying there's—"

"A tournament, yes. And not just any tournament." Scott lowered his voice. "The strongest trainers from all over the world are attending. The champions are spectating, but everyone else—Elite Four members included—are going to be battling to win. This is possibly the most loaded championship we've ever seen."

"An opportunity for me to make a statement, eh?"

"A statement?" Scott laughed. "If you win this tournament, I don't think anyone other than the champions could call themselves on your level."

"An opportunity for me to be the very best, then." Ash had never looked happier. "Count me in."

"Great!" Scott handed Ash a thankfully thin brown office envelope. "Here are the forms you'll have to fill out. Just send them to Oak when you're done."

"Thanks, Scott." Then Ash furrowed his brow. "Wait...you never told me when and where this tournament is."

The man paused for a moment, then facepalmed. "My bad. It's in two weeks' time, and it's at Lily of the Valley Island."

" _The_ Lily of the Valley Island?" Ash asked, incredulous. Did he hear that part right?

Scott grinned. "Yes. What a setting, eh?"

"Indeed." Ash rubbed his hands together in glee. "Oh man, this is gonna be _awesome_."

"I couldn't agree more. But before you start on those forms, I'd like to ask if you've changed your mind about—"

"Joining the Battle Frontier?" Ash finished for said organization's owner.

"Yes, precisely. When I first made the offer to you, you said that you wanted to continue on your journey. But now..." Scott's voice trailed off.

Ash thought for a moment, considering what to say. Eventually, he spoke up.

"I really have thought about it for a while. I know I won't go on journeys like I used to do, though I'll definitely still travel a lot—"

"That's not an issue," Scott assured him. "We only accept challengers eight or nine months a year, though we do invite exceptional trainers year round."

"Okay. That was my first concern. My second concern is how much free time I'll have during those months."

"It depends on where we place you in the rotation of Frontier Brains," Scott answered. "Noland, being the first Brain to battle, has to have his facility open at least nine or ten hours a day, sometimes more. Obviously he's not battling the _whole_ time, but since he also works on planes and the like he doesn't have a lot of time to relax, not that he minds. On the other hand, Brandon has so much time that he can fly around to museums basically as often as he wants; he'll know of any potential challengers well in advance."

Ash smiled. "Well, that ties in to my third concern. If I joined, where would I be placed? Somewhere in the middle?"

"Actually..." Scott frowned a little. "That's not the easiest question in the world to answer right now. Come to Castelia City tomorrow at noon, and look for the Battle Company building. Someone will take you to the 56th floor, where we'll meet with the other Battle Frontier Brains. I have an announcement to make to all of you—assuming you accept my offer, that is."

"Sure," Ash said with little hesitation. "Becoming a Frontier Brain seems like a good way to learn more about battling, and I'll get to teach people too. This seems like the perfect job for me. I just have one request."

Scott looked at him oddly. "Uh, sure. What is it?"

"I'd rather not have my friends know who I am until I'm ready to tell them. Now, I know you shouldn't help me with this, but is there any chance you could, er, tell the Pokemon League to hide my real name for the time being?"

Scott pondered Ash's words briefly. "Yes and no. I can register you and the other Brains collectively as simply 'the Battle Frontier', so none of your names will show up on the contestant list, but I still have to hand in your Pokedexes or any other form of identification. Then, when the Pokemon League releases the pairings for each round, your names will be revealed. And on top of that, the commentator is required to announce the names of both participants in a battle before it begins. So while I can definitely prevent your friends from finding out you're in the competition ahead of time, I can't do anything when the competition actually starts." He shrugged. "Sorry."

"No problem." Ash sighed. "And they'll also announce that I'm part of the Battle Frontier?"

"To avoid confusion, probably, yes." Scott looked down at his watch. "Oh my, has it really been that long? Time flies. Sorry, I've got to run. Negotiating for sponsorship from Silph Co. soon. Are there any more questions?"

"Just one. What's my title gonna be?"

"Your decision. We'll be discussing that at the meeting too." Scott saluted. "Anyway, it's good to see you again, Ash. Train hard like you've been doing; it'll pay off very soon."

Ash laughed. "You bet! Thanks, Scott!"

And with that, Scott walked off into the caves.

"...Eh, he probably knows how to find his way back down," Ash muttered.

* * *

Night had fallen on the beautiful coastal city of Castelia. Unlike the day, during which the docks had the most activity with boats dropping off supplies and tourists, at night the neon lights of the bustling downtown area attracted the most people.

Scott frequented neither.

Staring out of the spotless glass windows of his spacious office, the owner of the Battle Frontier smiled to himself. Today had been an excellent day. The pitch to Silph Co. proved very persuasive, with most of the investors willing to chip in a sizable amount of money to maintain and expand not only the Kanto but also the Sinnoh branch of the Battle Frontier. No doubt they, being the suave businessmen they were, had noticed the growing popularity of the organization. He suspected that the induction of the newest Frontier Brain would lead to quite the influx of challengers, especially if he and his colleagues performed well at the Second Lily of the Valley Conference.

Speaking of which...he had a call to make.

He turned around in his black leather swivel chair, facing the massive wall-mounted monitor. Locating the power button on the side of his chair's left arm, he pressed it and watched the monitor flicker to life. Another push on another button, and the screen turned black. Soon, however, Brandon answered the video call, the control room of his flying pyramid visible through the doorway and across the hall. Anabel and Lucy, generally punctual, popped up onscreen next. Finally, Spencer, Greta, and Tucker joined the conference.

Oh, and Noland came a full thirty seconds after everyone else.

"Hello, all of you," Scott said, barely able to contain his excitement. "I had a rather wonderful day. You guys?"

The Frontier Brains all looked at each other on their respective screens, unsure how to react. They all knew, by the portly man's mysterious grin, that he had some news—probably good news—to share, but Scott's expression betrayed little else. Eventually Lucy said, "Today was relatively normal for all of us, I believe."

"Good to hear," Scott replied, not that he cared. If anything unusual had happened, the Frontier Brains would have mentioned it. "Now, you guys are gonna like this: I went to Silph Co. today to seek new sponsors. And thanks to that one meeting, our annual budget for the foreseeable future has increased by...roughly 31%."

His announcement visibly shocked and impressed his employees. "...Wow," Greta said. "I—uh. That's a lot of money. Thanks, boss!"

"No problem. And they say they may commit more cash if we really get rolling. We've haven't been around for that long, but we're already fairly well known, and we get more and more challengers every year. Plus, Pokemon battles are more popular than ever, and promoting battling is what we do. I'm confident we'll receive more backing in the near future, especially if we do well at the upcoming tournament. And considering we have an eighth Frontier Brain now, those extra funds will—"

"Wait, _what!?_ " the seven Brains interrupted almost simultaneously, much to the distress of Scott's poor eardrums.

"Anyway," a rattled Scott continued, "Yes. We have an eighth Frontier Brain. I met with him today and made the offer, and he accepted almost immediately. Well, to be perfectly accurate..." Scott smirked. He knew the impact his next words would have. "I _remade_ the offer after he initially declined over three years ago."

Total silence.

"It's _him_ _!?_ " Brandon inquired in disbelief. "He accepted?"

Anabel knew that anything she said was potentially teasing material and thus kept quiet. Of course, everyone in the call already knew about how she felt about Ash, but...just to be safe.

Scott would have none of that. "What do you think, Anabel? Do you think you can beat him and defend your position?"

All eyes turned to Anabel. Since her loss to Ash, she'd been training incredibly hard to improve herself and her Pokemon, fueled by motivation the likes of which she'd never felt before. Just a few months ago, she'd defeated her mentor Brandon to earn the coveted final spot in the rotation of Frontier Brains, though the Pyramid King's newly caught fourth legendary Pokemon had put up a hell of a fight.

No prizes for guessing _which_ legendary had sworn its allegiance to him.

Anabel shrugged, still wearing a facade of neutrality. "If he's still the same as before, most definitely. Of course, he's certainly become stronger as well, though I haven't heard much about his whereabouts." Unknown to any of her colleagues, she had actually gone looking for Ash for about a month, claiming she was visiting her Unovan relatives. Needless to say, she didn't find him. And thus she was extremely curious where he'd been and how Scott found him. "Can you tell us what you think of him, Scott?"

Scott grinned. "Oh, man. He's been training by himself on Mount Coronet for the past two and a half years. By himself. Kind of like Red, who I'm sure most of you know."

Anabel gasped. "He's been doing _what!?_ That's insane!"

"Oh, but his methods have worked." Scott chuckled. "You could be second to last again all too soon, dear Anabel. I'm sure when the two of you battle it'll be fascinating seeing the improvement of you and him both."

Spencer nodded. "No question. Ash had perhaps the most potential of any trainer I have ever seen. You as well. We will be watching the two of you very closely during the tournament. And who knows..." He smiled. "You could face him in the preliminaries. Or even the later rounds. Now _that_ would be a spectacle, wouldn't it?"

"Oish!—I mean yes!" Greta agreed enthusiastically. "Go get him, Anabel!" She paused. "If you know what I mean."

Though not quite the smoothest innuendo ever delivered, it did succeed in bringing a furious blush to Anabel's face and a disappointed deadpan/mildly disgusted grimace to everyone else's.

"Moving on from that—are you okay, Anabel?" The girl nodded quickly, not wishing to dwell upon Greta's words any longer. "He'll be coming by tomorrow at noon, so be here on time. Any last questions?"

Tucker spoke up. "You mentioned that he had been training by himself for three years. How strong do you think he is right now?"

"Oh, probably Elite Four level at minimum," Scott answered nonchalantly.

Total silence again.

"...That good, huh?" Anabel murmured to herself. "I'll just have to see for myself, then."

"So, any other questions?"

No one else uttered a word.

"Excellent," Scott said. "Meeting adjourned."

* * *

 **And that's all she wrote. Literally. So, how was it? Good? Bad? Terrible? I'd really, really like to know.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Had to get this chapter out before my free time became nonexistent. Noticeable drop in quality IMO, but please do let me know your thoughts.**

 **Can't wait to get to the actual battling, though. That stuff comes to me quicker. And it's easier to write.**

 ***Sigh* This next month is going to be _hell._ But nothing that a typical high school student doesn't go through, I suppose.**

 **Enough about me, though. Enjoy.**

 **P.S. Some of you are wondering why the hell Paul is listed as a character. Well...uh...you'll see. Eventually ;)**

* * *

Chapter 1

So We Meet Again

"Both of you, use Overheat!"

With a ferocious growl, Charizard launched a white-hot stream of fire from its mouth. The flame atop Chandelure's head flared up to monstrous proportions before Chandelure, too, fired its attack.

The two Overheats collided, causing a massive explosion and creating an unbearable amount of smoke.

Thankfully, Unfezant's Air Slash cleared it rather quickly, most likely saving Ash's lungs in the process.

Ash scratched his head in embarassment. "...Yeah, let's not do that again."

* * *

With an ear-piercing screech, Staraptor dove toward the stationary Muk, the signature white blur of Quick Attack trailing it.

Ash noted Staraptor's elevation, then nodded. "Alright, Muk, Acid Armor!"

Instantly, Muk's body appeared to almost completely liquefy, Staraptor more or less passing directly through it and colliding painfully with the mountain.

Ash winced. Yikes, that looked like it hurt. He reached into his backpack and dug out a Super Potion from under an assortment of other medicines. "Come here, Staraptor. This'll help."

The bird Pokemon, still dazed, appeared to ignore his words.

"Oh, are you serious, you're confused too?" Ash took out a packet of Persim Berry powder, tore the packet, opened the cap of the potion, and poured the dry solute in; though not nearly as efficacious as fresh berries, the pre-packaged form usually got the job done. He ran over to Staraptor and kneeled, holding Staraptor in place as he sprayed the potion. Within about a minute, Staraptor was back to normal.

"Feeling better?" Ash asked. Staraptor cawed loudly. "I'll take that as a yes! Brave Bird again!"

* * *

With a grunt, Infernape thrust his fist forward, Ash quickly ducking under the blow.

"Again!"

More than happy to oblige, the fire monkey began punching and even kicking rapidly, forcing Ash's body to contort to twist, roll, and generally avoid the hits. His trainer hadn't told it to use Close Combat, but he figured his trainer could handle the blows.

"Alright, that's enough." Infernape stopped, looking at his trainer questioningly. "Try a Flare Blitz now."

Noticing his Pokemon's skeptical and bewildered expression, Ash hastily added, "Not on me this time, obviously."

* * *

"Ready?" Ash asked.

Sceptile nodded, grinning. He had trained for this moment for a few months now.

"Good..." Ash looked over at Pikachu, a few meters away. "Counter Shield!"

Immediately, Pikachu rolled over, back against the ground, and started spinning in place, firing off Thunderbolts everywhere.

"Now, are you absolutely _sure_ you can pull this off now?"

Sceptile's confident attitude was a sufficient response.

"Okay. Quick Attack!"

Almost faster than the eye could see, Sceptile zipped toward Pikachu and leapt, diving toward the electric mouse. A fraction of a second later, Pikachu cried out as Sceptile slammed into him, sending him flying. He landed somewhat balanced on his tail, acrobatically flipping backward and landing on his legs.

Ash whistled. "And not a single direct hit on you. Nice. Keep practicing that, alright?"

Sceptile would have done so anyway, but the Pokemon nodded in affirmation.

* * *

"Castform, people are gonna get suspicious if they see a hailstorm this far down the mountain."

* * *

"Whimsicott, Seed Bomb!"

With a giggle, Whimsicott sent a swarm of glowing seeds flying toward Shaymin from the cotton on its back.

"Shaymin, transform and use Air Slash!"

Shaymin's body glowed golden, but its body did not morph whatsoever. Whimsicott's attack hit it directly, knocking it back and causing the glow to fade, Shaymin still in its Land form.

"Min..." Shaymin whimpered sadly. It still could not transform without a Gracidea flower.

Then, it felt a hand petting it softly. Looking up in surprise, it saw Ash squatting down next to it, a smile on his face.

"Don't worry, Shaymin," he said reassuringly. "You'll get it eventually. And even if you don't, you'll still be a great part of my team. Now, don't be so sad, okay?"

Nuzzling into Ash's palm, Shaymin mewled happily. The sight reminded Ash of his and Pikachu's early days, when Pikachu still didn't trust him all that much. The affectionate head patting and rubbing built trust and friendship, though Pikachu did occasionally shock him. Painfully.

Luckily, he didn't have to fear Shaymin doing the same. And so he could simply enjoy making Shaymin happy.

* * *

"Alright, we'll call it a day, guys. Whoever wants to stay and sleep out here can do that. The rest of you wait over there"—Ash gestured next to his ruined shelter—"so I can get you guys back in your Pokeballs. Remember, we'll be seeing Scott tomorrow at noon, so no training in the morning. We'll probably fly to Castelia early, see the sights, relax for a bit. Might find a trainer or two to battle, but I'll be using Castform and Whimsicott if I do 'cause they need the experience."

Watching his Pokemon either find open space on the terrain or walk/fly/hop/you get the idea over to the designated waiting area, Ash re-pitched his tent. Didn't take too long, but doing the same thing every day frustrated him more than a little bit.

He couldn't be more proud of his Pokemon for their hard work, but really, was one day of keeping the tent intact too much to ask for?

Sighing, he reached for his backpack, searching for each Pokemon's ball. "Okay...Chandelure, return. Staraptor, return. Unfezant, return..."

* * *

The next morning began uneventful.

No, like, really. I'd love to write about it, but nothing happened. Ash woke up, ate, and flew to Castelia City. On Dragonite, if any of you cared.

Not seeking attention, he ordered Dragonite to land well off the main path of Route 4. Trekking through the forest, he spotted the massive steel arch that marked the entrance to Castelia City.

"It's been a while since we've been here, hasn't it, Pikachu?"

" _Pi._ "

Wandering down the moderately crowded boulevard (of broken dreams?), the pair arrived at the verdant Castelia Central Plaza...and stopped.

"Holy _moly._ "

" _Pika._ "

Looking around, the streets were already bustling with activity. The actual roads didn't have an absurd number of cars (though still many), but the sidewalks were more or less a long, solid mass of people. As far as he could see, customers and commuters were entering and exiting shops, cafes, skyscrapers, and the countless other buildings that flanked Castelia Street, Mode Street, and...he didn't know the names of the other streets, but you get the idea. Even the narrow alleyways that branched off from the Central Plaza had a respectable number of pedestrians.

Pikachu pointed at an empty ice cream stand on the side of Mode Street with a sizable line of people already. " _Chupi._ "

"It's not open, yet, Pikachu," Ash said. "We'll get some later. Let's first find the...uh...Battle something building, I think?" Ash grinned sheepishly. "I kinda forgot."

Sighing, Pikachu facepalmed. The double expression of disappointment got the message across.

"Right, right, my bad...oh right! Battle _Company_ building!" Ash exclaimed. "See, I knew that the whole time."

Another facepalm.

Ash stopped, staring around again. "But wait...he never told us what it looked like!"

At this rate, Pikachu would flatten his nose into oblivion by the end of the day.

"Perhaps I may be of assistance?"

 _That voice..._

Ash whipped his head around. "Hey! Long time no see!"

N waved. "It has been a while, Ash. And I'm sure the rest of the world agrees."

"Heh." Ash rubbed the back of his head in slight embarassment. "About that..."

N shook his head. "No need. Scott informed me of your situation."

"Oh, okay—wait, _what!?_ "

N chuckled. "Somehow, I was not too surprised. You always seemed quite the driven trainer."

"But...w-wait..." Ash stared up at the sky in bewilderment, then back at N, confused beyond belief. "...do you, like, _work_ for Scott?"

"But of course. I have done so for almost a year. I mostly handle errands and paperwork." N quirked his eyebrow. "Is there a problem?"

Ash shook his head, somewhat over his initial shock. "But I thought you didn't like forcing Pokemon to fight?"

"That has not changed."

"So...you decided to join an organization...that specializes in Pokemon battling?"

Thinking to himself for a moment, N smiled. "Well, Scott approached me, but yes."

Ash stared at him blankly. "Why?"

"Because Reshiram forever changed my naive soul that day."

"Wh—Oh." A memory of the showdown with Reshiram and Team Plasma flashed through Ash's mind.

"It told me that trainers such as yourself were not _forcing_ Pokemon to fight. It told me that every Pokemon had a desire to be strong, just like trainers did. The journey to be a Pokemon...Master, as you put it, is not a trainer's alone. The Pokemon are not the means to an end...rather, they were willingly undertaken. And pondering those words, I have come to the conclusion that battling, rather than destroying bonds, in fact creates bonds that nothing else can, and though I still detest trainers that do not care for their Pokemon and see them as weapons..." N shrugged. "If the Pokemon wants to battle, wants to stand alongside its trainer, then I have nothing to say."

"I knew someone like that once..." Ash muttered. "After I beat him, though, I think he changed."

"Paul, correct?"

Ash threw his hands in the air. "There's _no way_ Scott told you about him!"

"No." N chuckled. "But the Frontier Brains rewatched footage of all of your Sinnoh League battles about six months ago, and they let me join them." N checked his watch. "If you would like, I can take you to the Battle Frontier building. It's far more interesting than any of the other places during the daytime, I assure you. And even if you did stay until the evening, you'd be a tad young for most of the better places in town...well, what my coworkers consider the better places in town. I wouldn't know."

Ash nodded. "Sure. I wasn't planning on doing much anyway. Hey, N..."

"Yes?"

"Do you have any Pokemon now?"

"Still none. Perhaps one day..." N smiled to himself. "Now then, shall we?"

* * *

Ash stared upward, slack-jawed.

"That's..."

"Hm?"

"That's a tall building."

The two were standing in front of the revolving door entrance to the Battle Company offices. Glass covered practically the entire exterior, unsurprising considering every other skyscraper in Castelia looked more or less the same aside from height.

And _damn_ did this one make Ash feel small.

"Scott told you his office was on the 56th floor, did he not?"

"Well...yeah..."

N looked at him askance. "So what _was_ the height you expected?"

"...A bit shorter, that's for sure."

N laughed. "Alright. Let's head inside."

The interior also looked quite typical. White walls, a reception desk, perfectly square offices with glass partitions, a cafeteria, a lounge off to the side...and all of the decor seemed understated and very modern. The minimalist metal chairs with wooden backs, the slate-colored couches, the black cushions, the hanging LED lamps—the whole space gave off an orderly, calm, clean, efficient vibe.

The only indication as to which company owned the building was the paper mache Battle Frontier logo fixed to the far wall, a row of elevator doors directly below it.

Noticing Ash's bewildered gaze, N grinned sheepishly. "We had too much time on our hands. And too many editions of the _Castelia Times_. Scott liked it, so we decided to display it proudly."

"..."

"Anyway," N continued, "not much of note is on the ground floor, since it's accessible to the public. It looks pretty, and that is its main purpose: to impress people. The other floors, though, are where the real work is done. Such as the 37th floor, which specializes in Pokemon psychology." N smirked. "Of course, understanding the language of Pokemon helps with research in that particular field."

"Gonna take a wild guess and say that's where you usually are."

"You would be correct, Ash. In fact, I can take you there right now. The technology they have in the laboratory is extraordinary."

Ash pondered the offer. "Why not? Sounds cool."

The pair sauntered across the room to the center elevator, none of the employees glancing up at the visitor. They already knew who he was, anyway.

With a pleasant-sounding chime, the elevator doors slid open, and N walked in, reaching to his left and pressing the button for the correct floor without even looking at the panel.

"It's habit," N explained to his slightly unnerved and impressed companion.

After almost a minute of listening to terrible electronic music too faint to hear clearly but more than loud enough to annoy the hell out of anyone, Ash sighed with relief as the doors opened once more, revealing a maze of cubicles, partitions, bulky machines, and actual rooms.

What.

Ash looked back at N, who only smiled.

"How are we supposed to..." Ash trailed off.

Facing out of the elevator again, he noted that everything was perfectly ordered and organized, a clear straight hallway flanked by glass-enclosed offices in front of him.

He blinked. "The fu—"

N clicked his tongue. "Now, now, let's keep this T-rated. The trick is simple." Stepping forward, he pushed on what appeared to be thin air—well, at least until the large glass screen fell over, revealing the floor's true layout, which closely resembled that of the ground level.

"All electronic. A nice illusion, wouldn't you agree?"

"Thought I was drunk for a second there," muttered Ash. "Gotta say yes to that, though. That looked totally real to me."

"Extremely high resolution, almost as high as your eyes," N explained. "And smart lighting control with the elevator. If the lights in the elevator weren't as bright as they are now, you could have realized that it was a glowing screen, not an actual office space."

"So that's the type of stuff you use for experiments?"

"For anything involving vision, yes. Most Pokemon are too smart to be fooled by, say, a TV, so we had to improve the technology. In fact, we could start selling these as TVs in as little as two years. I'm not sure what Scott's plans are.

"But the best is yet to come." N grinned, grabbing Ash's wrist. "Follow me."

* * *

Two hours wasn't nearly enough for N and his colleagues, who began trickling in during Ash's tour, to fully explain everything the department did. Though fascinated, some things did disconcert Ash a little. For example, after a few tests they determined that Pikachu had a Mild nature.

Yeah, _right._

"There must be a mistake," Ash insisted, an infuriatingly smug electric mouse on the examination table.

N shrugged, the scientist at the computer behind him doing the same. "Well, perhaps he has learned from your ways."

"What's that supposed to mean!?"

Overall, though, Ash had a fantastic time, and was quite dejected when N looked at his watch and announced that he had to escort Ash to his meeting with the Frontier Brains.

"Five more minutes? Please?"

"Sadly, no. We must leave now."

"But—"

" _Now_."

And so Ash found himself outside the doors to Scott's apparently enormous office. Taking a deep breath, he entered.

In front of him was a long, wooden table with empty seats on both sides. At the head sat Scott.

"You could have knocked," Scott commented cheekily. "Good to see you, Ash. I trust you had a good time on the 37th floor?"

"Not too surprised you already know about that," Ash admitted. "Yeah, I did. N was a great guide."

"I'm glad to hear it. Why don't you take a seat? The others should be here soon."

Sure enough, Brandon strode into the room, trademark stone-cold yet disappointed expression on his face. Seeing Ash, though, made his lips curl upward ever so slightly into a smile.

"Hello, Ash."

"Hello, Brandon."

Scott gestured. "Please, take a seat."

The tall man chose the seat across from the newcomer. "You've grown."

Ash started. "What?"

"Taller."

"Oh!—uh, yeah. I have."

"And you are more mature."

Ash laughed. "I don't know about that..."

"You are," Brandon asserted strongly, Ash looking at him in surprise. "You may be able to defeat Anabel. I am not sure..."

Before Ash could respond to this odd statement, Scott interjected. "Oh, right, I never told you. Anabel defeated Brandon a few months ago. She's now the final Frontier Brain."

Ash raised his eyebrow. "Oh. Wow. Which Pokemon did you use?"

"Ninjask, Dusknoir, and all four Regis."

" _Four?_ " Ash repeated incredulously. "Wait...you don't mean—"

"I don't know why Regigigas wanted to come along with me," Brandon admitted, "but yes. I now have all four Regis."

Ash pondered this information. "Huh. Then if Anabel beat you, she must pretty strong now, I guess."

"You don't seem terribly surprised," Scott noted.

"To be honest, I'm not," Ash replied, much to both Scott's and Brandon's surprise. "Given her age, I kinda expected her to get way better. I dunno if either of you saw this coming, but I thought it was a matter of time."

"Interesting," Brandon said. "You think she always had the potential to be this strong?"

Ash nodded. "Yeah."

Brandon opened his mouth, but he noticed Scott staring at him. _Don't tell him yet_ , Scott mouthed.

"...Perhaps that is the case," Brandon acknowledged.

At that moment, the six remaining Frontier Brains all charged into the room, some looking amused, others livid.

"What happened?" Scott inquired.

"N trolled us," Noland muttered.

"None of the elevators would come to the ground floor for five minutes straight. I don't know how he did it, but he was in the elevator with us until the 55th floor and claimed he did it," Lucy elaborated, struggling to remain impassive.

"Given his track record, I would believe him," Spenser said, chuckling.

"I will speak to him later," Scott assured them, mentally laughing his head off. "Take a seat."

* * *

The meeting began as expected.

Basically, it was boring as hell.

First, each of the seven current Frontier Brains shared how many symbols they'd handed out since the previous meeting, how many challengers, money they'd potentially need for repairs and the like, unique battling strategies they witnessed...need I go on?

It took all of Ash's willpower for him to not scream in frustration.

"As for why I've brought you here today," Scott finally said, "Here he is: Ash Ketchum, our newest Frontier Brain."

A brief round of applause.

"You all, of course, remember him. We actually don't have too much to cover at this meeting; he already has the paperwork, and he already knows what the job entails."

"I do?" Ash asked quietly to Pikachu. The mouse Pokemon shrugged.

"Which leaves just one matter to settle, Ash: where do we put you?" Scott looked to his seven employees. "Any thoughts, you guys?"

Silence.

"...Hm," Tucker said. "An interesting question. We have no idea how strong you are now...especially compared to Anabel and Brandon."

 _Well, I certainly have an idea_ , Ash thought to himself, but merely nodded.

"I mean, you've beaten both Anabel and Brandon, so you should be last." Greta paused, noticing the skeptical looks from practically everybody else at the table. "Actually, that's a terrible idea, isn't it?"

Noland coughed. "Yes. it is. For now, we should place him just below both Anabel and Brandon. And then, once his facility is ready to go, we can arrange rematches."

"Then, if his initial placement doesn't matter," Spencer asked, "why not have rematches as soon as possible, before he begins work?"

"Ahem."

All eyes turned to Scott. "Well," he said, "how about I share my thoughts?"

Immediately everyone fell silent.

"Thank you." Scott glanced at each of the other eight members of the meeting. "All of you know about the upcoming world championship, right?"

The answer was a literally resounding, most likely annoyed "yes." (He'd asked this same question for a while...)

"Quieter next time, please." Scott winced. "But we can all agree that this tournament is definitely gonna be the best test of skill we'll have for a while, yes?"

This time he received a more restrained affirmative reply, much to his relief.

"How's this, then..." Scott leaned forward, grinning. "I'll determine the new order based on where each of you finish in the tournament. Lowest is first, best is last...and of course, everyone else is in the middle."

One could have heard a pin drop during the palpable silence that followed.

"But obviously," Scott reassured his employees, "no pressure."

* * *

 **Holy MOLY I'm busy. Sorry. Please R+R. Expect a similarly long, very possibly longer wait for the next chapter.**

 **Again, apologies. Writing is hard.**


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